In
Deuteronomy chapter 30 Moses presents the Nation of Israel with a
prophetic look into the future. He concludes this sermon with a
choice that each of us must make individually. Moses begins, “When
all these blessings and curses… come upon you and you take them to
heart wherever the Lord your God disperses you among the nations…“.
Prior to the UN resolution in 1948 that created the modern nation of
Israel, the Jewish people were a nation dispersed throughout the
world. In spite of the persecution, the Jewish people remained
separate and distinct holding on to the promises of this chapter.
“When
you and your children return to the Lord your God and obey Him with
all your heart… then the Lord will restore your fortunes and have
compassion on you and gather you again from all the nations where He
scattered you… God will gather you and bring you back… to the
land that belonged to your fathers, and you will take possession of
it. He will make you more prosperous and numerous than your
fathers“.
Today, even with the constant threat of destruction from all sides,
Israel continues to grow and prosper. But the promise is not yet
complete.
“The
Lord your God will circumcise your hearts… so that you may love Him
with all your heart and with all your soul and live.”
There is still a spiritual conversion that must take place.
Remember, the circumcision was an outward expression of the inward
acceptance of God’s promise to Abraham. God promised Abraham he
would be the father of many nations, he would possess the Promised
Land and finally that Messiah would come through his line. Clearly
the apostle Paul believed at the appointed time the nation of Israel
would accept Jesus Christ as the Messiah. “Israel
has experienced an hardening in part until the full number of the
Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is
written”
(Romans 11:26). Moses explains to the nation that complete
obedience to God is “Not
too difficult for you or beyond your reach… No, the word is very
near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it…
I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now
choose life“.
In Romans chapter 10, the apostle Paul quotes this verse and adds,
“If
you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your
heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved“.
The nation of Israel and each of us are given the same choice. We
can trust in our own efforts to be perfect, or we can trust in the
perfect work of Christ.
Moses
concludes, “Love
the Lord your God, listen to His voice, and hold fast to Him. For
the Lord is your life.”
Jesus told all of His followers, “Do
not think I have come to abolish the Law… I have not come to
abolish them, but to fulfill them“(Matthew
5:17). Jesus also explained His purpose was to restore all of us to
God, “When
a man believes in Me, he does not believe in Me, but the One who sent
Me“.
Finally, in Luke 11:23, Jesus explains there is no middle ground,
each of us must choose. “He
that is not with Me is against Me, and he that does not gather with
me, scatters.”
May you experience the joy of choosing life with Christ!